Aschoy was founded in 2007 in the city of La Paz-
Bolivia. ASCHOY is a collective group that re-
searches and produces various forms of art from
the standpoint of popular culture as the source
for a horizontal dialogue on the process and the
creation of arts. The collective activates and par-
ticipates with various groups like shoe shiners,
hairdressers, embroiderers, musical bands, music
instrument makers, street photographers, artisans,
couturieres, prisoners, day laborers, to collectively
create art manifestations. ASCHOY assimilates
the “CHOJCHO” aesthetic as a genuine and
original “avant garde “ manifestation, that is the
result of the social and cultural clashing between
the original culture confronting the western domi-
nant culture, “CHOJCHO” then becomes a syn-
cretic expression that embraces a range of mani-
festations. This aesthetic is particularly visible in
the city of La PAZ- Bolivia.
The following pieces are produced in collabora-
tion and under those premises, creating a dia-
logue with a common language about the syn-
cretic experience in this city.
The mask of the shoe-shiner
The mask can be seen playing several roles in
the Andes region: in rituals, at carnival; but also
as a manifestation in the social-political fabric. The
mask of the shoe-shiners in La Paz, Bolivia is par-
ticularly distinctive. Since the economic debacle of
the mid 1980’s, caused by the drop in price of the
major export of that country—tin, the young pro-
fessionals left their houses in desperation to work
on the streets, many of them as shoe-shiners.
Because this unspecialized labor was seen as a
lower-class occupation, they covered their faces.
As Roberta and Peter Markman state in their book
“Masks of the Spirit”: “. . . the mask simultaneously
conceals and reveals the innermost spiritual force
of life itself. Precisely this fundamental opposition
of the two ways in which the mask symbolizes the
essential relationship between matter and spirit
(Markman and Markman 1990: xix).” The mask
plays with this duality, in the case of the shoe-
shiners, hiding their identity so they can function in
society without any link to their daily activities, but
revealing a fragile socio-economic fabric, where
the mask becomes their protection against ex-
clusion and discrimination. They also cover their
faces with the mask because this type of labor is
socially discriminated against by their peers.
The mask becomes a symbolic expression of an
in-transit fragmented identity that allows them to
resist the economic debacle, where they don’t per-
form any agency. The mask reveals a society that
segregates and excludes by hiding their persona.
 Manifest of the Performance “LA MASCARA DE TO-
DOS LOS SANTOS (The mask of all the Saints)”
Public street performance in the city of La Paz.

I designed a ski mask using iconography that is

used in the embroidery made for religious purpos-
es around Bolivia. I commissioned Richard Char-
cas for the creation of that mask. He comes from
a long family tradition of embroiderers and he spe-
cializes in religious embroidery. The embroidered
mask attempts to resurface the mask of the shoe-
shiners in order to make it very visible to the eyes
of the public in the streets.
The ski mask works as a camouflage where the
shoe-shiner disappears into the city. This perfor-
mance is a playful act at first, mixing various codes
of the popular culture dominant in La Paz.
[ Performance #1, August 21, 2007. La Paz- Bolivia.]
The performance takes the form of a procession.
A band follows the group and a shoe-shiner wears
the mask for a segment of the procession, then
he will pass the mask to another shoe-shiner. The
procession was abruptly stopped by the police in
the main plaza “Murillo”, because they thought it
was a political congregation.
Portraits
is a series of video portraits of shoe-shiners in the streets of
La Paz. They face the camera for three minutes. Some rap
their own lyrics, others talk about their situation in La Paz,
and others remain silent.
Video documentation / The Mask of all the
Saints (the performance).
is a performance planned on the streets of La Paz. A band
followed shoe-shiners in the streets while they walked, ex-
changing a mask among themselves. The performance is a
combination of a series of ritualistic gestures.
[ Photos by Freddy Barragan Garcia ]
This Action was a collaboration with: Alexis Cama-
cho, editor of the street news paper Hormigon Ar-
mado and members of the Alpra Junior shoe shiner
group.
[ Action #2, August 22, 2007. La Paz- Bolivia.]
Manifest of the Performance “The Face of
the Homeland” / Public street perfor-
mance in the city of La Paz.
The street monuments—vomited upon, urinated
on, graffitied, forgotten; ignored architecture; omit-
ted landscape; negated symbols; the stage for
floral arrangements. The monuments establish
the space for many relations; around them transit
the minor workers of the street—icons of under-
employment. Location of the display of the “vende
cosas” (trinket sellers), transitory parking for the
carts, space of money exchangers, preachers,
thieves, a central space for the ones of the social
periphery, the representation of the anonymous.
The display where the ignored disappear.
The street workers use a mask—a ski mask, and
there are thousands, distributed around the city,
many of them school age kids, forced to work to
survive. Their reality is widely ignored by the pass-
ersby and the social policies of the government.
 [ Photos by Freddy Barragan Garcia ]
Their act of survival carries a heavy load of sacri- masks (ski masks like the one the shoe-shiner in
fice. Each young shoe shiner symbolizes poverty La Paz use), with this act we question the use of
and exclusion. At the same time, their work is an the mask and we create an act of resistance.
act of resistance vis a vis the economic system.
The use of the mask becomes an act that frag-
ments the hierarchical structure, where each looks
to be the owner of his or her own destiny in the
context of a rigid society.

The ACTION
As a collective of people we planned a series of
performances in the city of La Paz, with the objec-
tive to articulate a symbolic and participatory act,
with one of the premises that the “Lustra” execute
the action. This piece takes as reference the most
important patriarchal monuments of the city and
through a definitive gesture we cover them with

As a primary reference we have the ludic act of
masking the hero. But in this case the mask that
reinforces the anonymous status simultaneously
goes deep into a socio-economic discourse by
masking the image of the ideal with the real.
The mask here speaks from the standpoint of a
system of exclusion and negation in relation of the
situation of the “Lustras” in the city of La Paz.
But this collective transformative effort, transfers
the monument into a symbol of inclusion and be-
longing for the “Lustras” through the act of mask-
ing. That way the social prejudice is transferred
and it is implied that all citizens use the mask. This
is an attempt to create a bridge from the people to
the city. Finally the “Lustras” empower themselves
and they appropriate symbols of their spaces and
they assume agency with this act.
[ Photos by Freddy Barragan Garcia ]

As a result of the performance #2, the TV Channel
“RED UNO” contacted us to have the shoe-shiners
to be interviewed and talk about the performance
on the program “Que no me pierda”. Conducted
by Jhon Arandia, this is one of the most frequently
viewed shows, which talks about important issues
of the city of La Paz.
They had five kids on the show. During the pro-
gram they showed documentation of the perfor-
[ Photos by Narda Elisa Zapata ]
They also talked about issues like the discrimina-
tion that they are subject to and the role of the
mask.
During the second half of the program the conduc-
tor asked one of the shoe-shiners to teach him to
shoe-shine, then he requested for them to take off
the mask. Four did so, only the eldest remained
with the mask on.
The following series are part of a larger site- mixed Spanish and Native American origin. The
specific project that is a result of recognizing the Chola aesthetic is a clear manifestation of a mar-
multiplicity and variety of elements that create the ginalized society that was forced to copy European
dense local aesthetic and popular culture. A series canons imposed during colonial times. In brief, the
of pieces were created with embroidery artisans, Chola aesthetic is a mix between occidental influ-
another with carnival artisans, a performance was ences with indigenous features that is particularly
executed with shoe shiners, and a series of photo- apparent in the city of La Paz, Bolivia. Through the
graphs were made with day laborers in collabora- frame of multiple influences that come with moder-
tion with a street photographer. nity and consonant global processes, La Paz Bo-
livia has the indigenous and mestizo as the main
The result had a community impact. The local tele- protagonist of the urban and architectonic unequil
vision registered the street performances. As a re- ibrium embedded in its urban structures.
sult the shoe shiners were invited to talk shows to This new protagonist has created an architecture
talk about their reality. As a result of my research and further an aesthetic of intermixed and exag-
on “Chojcha aesthetic”, I developed a series gerated features that started to germinate in a
of pieces that portray that aesthetic experience. section of the city where small commerce and
These pieces are a synthesis of my experience as the new bourgeoisie concentrated. In this way the
an artist and researcher. chola-mestiza aesthetic permanently consecrated
spaces of entrepreneurial cultural dialogue, that
Chola Aesthetic resurfaces as a baroque manifestation and func-
tions as anti-elite expression of the sublime ideas
The Chola (also known as Cholo) are people of of the mestizo criollo.

| Comic / “Heroes de la Paz” |
The office of the story
is an office placed in the public space that is open to bystand-
ers to narrate to a dactylographer a story about when they
performed as heroes. The narrations will be translated into
comic structure, by a group of comic artists from La Paz. Then
the comics will be published in the format of a newspaper.
From all the stories, three stories will be selected to be made
into short films.
(Flyer to publicize The office of the story, in La Paz)
The office of the story is based on the ubiquitous dactylogra-
phers that offer their services outside public offices or banks
around the city of La Paz for people that need to fill out docu-
ments or type texts.
The office was open in El Alto and Plaza San Francisco in La
Paz Bolivia.
Public action / La Paz 2008

Public action / La Paz 2009, as part of the SIART Contemporary art Biennial.
Public action / La Paz 2009, as part of the SIART Contemporary art Biennial.
Samples 1, illustrated stories from the "The office of the story" / La Paz 2009, as part of the SIART Contemporary art Biennial.
Samples 2, illustrated stories from the "The office of the story" / La Paz 2009, as part of the SIART Contemporary art Biennial.
Aparapitas / geografia del trabajo
Geography of labor.
This piece is based upon the text “El Aparapitas de la Paz”,
by Saenz. This piece is a street action, where an aparapita
(from Aymara, translates to “the one who loads”), carries a
container with wings from the market to downtown. The con-
tainer is full of red paint that is being dropped as the aparapi-
tas walk through town. The image of the aparapita is forced
to be confronted and become visible by the bystanders be-
cause of the big wings that he carries and the traces of paint
left behind. The aparapita during his walk becomes a fictional
figure, another baroque iconic subject of the transhumance
in the city.
Public action / La Paz 2009, as part of the SIART Contemporary art Biennial.
Public action / La Paz 2009, as part of the SIART Contemporary art Biennial.

The true story of a sanctioned man and
his long and lonely path to find an an-
nounced death. // La verdadera historia de un
sancionado y su largo y solitario trayecto para en-
contrar su muerte anunciada
In the Andes there is underlying philosophy that
rules the behavior of the inhabitants--that is the
concept of “reciprocity”. This installation is a docu-
mentation made in 2008 in the Bolivian’s Andes
of a man, named “Sariri”, that was judged by the
community in the lower part of the Andes after he
stole a silver piece from the church in another com-
munity in the highlands. As a result of that crime,
the community sanctioned “Sariri” by building him
a container to carry seeds to serve as economical
compensation for the theft as well as a physical
sanction because he has to carry the container for
3 days. This three channel piece is a documenta-
tion of the journey of “Sariri” through the Andes
landscape. This piece utilize the landscape as a
character, where the “Altiplano” is experienced in
its infinitude, its horizontality, where the body is in
constant adaptation.
Video Installation:
3 channel (projectors) Synchronized
DVD // 45 min // 2009
NTSC // color
The true story of a sanctioned man and his long and lonely path to find an an-
nounced death. // La verdadera historia de un sancionado y su largo y solitario trayecto para en-
contrar su muerte anunciada

[Documentation installation at Center for the Art Design and Visual Culture UMBC / Maryland -USA]
[Documentation installation at Center for the Art Design and Visual Culture UMBC / Maryland -USA]
Project in progress :: Retratos Familiares / Family Portrait ::
:: Family Portrait / Serie of 12 painting (46 x 40 cm each),

1.- Found ID photograph, used in 2.- A street painter is commissioned to create this classic couple painting based
Bolivia for legal documents. on the legal photograph, tensioning the idea of gender.

3.-The classic couple painting is commissioned a second time to a classic barroque painter, to add “filacterias” , with a
series of texts critiquing gender issues.
Displayed as part of the SIART Contemporary art Biennial, La Paz-Bolivia 2009.
The hair designer portraits
Since around 1960 in La Paz - Bolivia, all of the
signs for hair salons depicting types of haircuts
were handmade in pastels by various local artists.
Among the most famous artists creating haircut
signs was Alex Teheran. This type of artistic ex-
pression no longer exists because the drawings
have been replaced by imported posters. As part
of my personal research I created an archive some
of the remaining drawings from some of the hair
salons in La Paz – Bolivia.
| Embroidered masks | | Diagram installation |
Installation / as part of the SIART Contemporary art Biennial La Paz-Bolivia 2009. Embroidery / Digital prints
Collaboration with Don Apollinar, street Photogra-
pher and day workers Mercado Yungas, La Paz -
Bolivia.
Mr. Escobar is one of the last in the city of La Paz
to take photos using a German Tessar 1250 cam-
era, Tessar. This “minute camera” is a self-suffi-
cient unit that allows the photographer to produce
a negative and develop the image inside the cam-
era, to produce a black and white image.
Portraits in the Yungas’ market.
La Paz, Bolivia
This series of photographs find reference in the
image “the Giant from Paruro”, by the Peruvian
photographer Martin Chambi. Chambi’s images,
takenaround 1925, became an iconographic im-
age of the Andes region, as Chambi documented
the social fabric while acting as a social commen-
tator.
The Yungas’ market, in La Paz, Bolivia, has be-
come the place for day laborers to wait for pa-
trons. They stand at the edge of the street. Placed
on the floor next to each one is a bag with a la-
bel briefly describing the type of labor that they
perform: plumber, electrician, carpenter, etc… For
this series I collaborated with Mr. Apolinar Esco-
bar, a street photographer, who is one of the last in
the city of La Paz to take photos using a portable
processing of paper negatives* using a German
Tessar lens. For this series we created an impro-
vised studio in a parking lot and we asked the day
laborers to pose for the camera in our ‘studio.’
-----------
* Using photographic printing paper the photographer would expose a sheet
of paper for the negative, develop, stop, and fix it inside the camera, then
put a copy stand on the camera and photograph the negative (to obtain a
positive), develop, stop, and fix, then wash the final print in a can of water
attached to his tripod. The camera was advertised as “One Minute Phot-
Postcards” .
SIART Contemporary art Biennial /
La Paz Bolivia 2009.
12 embroidered handkerchiefs / with cotton applications
Performance with aparapitas, transport de bultos
made of wool. Desplazamiento from the cemetery
to the museum.
Communitarian Justice / construccion de identidad (in progress).

Communitarian Justice
This piece is an installation of a series of human scale man-
nequins replicating the ones that are commonly found in “El
Alto”. The mannequins are made of fabric and an embroidery
layer like a paper doll is attached to the mannequin.
This type of public announcement is a communal re-
sponse to the need of self-determination and collective con
trol over the lack of state responsibility and police presence in
some areas in the Alto in La Paz. The public display in the pe-
ripheries is made as a warning of lynching to potential thieves
as a way of communal defense.
The Saint of the Flowers / El Santo de las Flores

[ The Flower Man. Display at the Katzen Museum Washington DC - USA ]

The Flower Man
“Mobile Social Sculpture”
This piece was a public performance in front of traf-
fic surveillance cameras in Washington DC. The
costume was designed by members of the Float-
ing Lab Collective, and executed by different arti-
sans in La Paz, Bolivia. The costume was based
on the flower vendors that stand on corners or me-
dian strips in Northern Virginia, selling to drivers.
This type of labor, in some cases, is executed by
members of immigrant communities. The Floating
Lab Collective designed a performance based on
this activity executed in front of traffic web cam-
eras in Washington DC, available on the internet.
The act of selling flowers employs a minimal eco-
nomic transaction based on a specific necessity to
express compassion.
Accumulative Spaces
This video and series of photographs deals with the spac- tions of Catholicism and an archive to the system of belief in
es that churches used as storage. That space becomes an the Andes region. These baroque scenes intermix here and
heterotopic space, where through time the storage room be- by confronting each other they lose some of their attributes.
comes a recipient of layers of iconography and representa-
Photographs of pilgrims for the Virgin of Copacabana, Copacabana-Bolivia.